Alumni, friends will mark campus with brick campaign

Lamar University students, alumni and friends now have the opportunity to leave a mark on campus permanently by purchasing engraved bricks in the new Cardinal Walk of Honor in the quadrangle.

This brick campaign will allow anyone to take part in the university’s Investing in the Future comprehensive campaign with a contribution of only $200. Installation of the bricks this fall, as Lamar celebrates its 90th anniversary, will help to beautify and revitalize the quadrangle at the heart of campus.

Sally (McDonald) House, a 1959 and 1967 graduate, planned to add her name to the Cardinal Walk of Honor, but her three children beat her to it. They surprised her with an engraved brick in her honor as a birthday gift earlier this year.

“I was overwhelmed. The fact that it was a gift from my children meant more to me than anything I’d ever received,” House said. “I love the campus. This is kind of like a second home to me. I can’t imagine not participating.”

The Lamar campus literally was home for House and her family for many years. Her father, F.L. McDonald, served as Lamar’s president from the time it became a four-year college in 1952 until his death in 1967. He and her mother, Evelyn, would walk the campus together each evening.

After House received the gift from her children, she and her sister, Colleen (McDonald) Marks, a 1956 graduate, immediately decided to purchase bricks in memory of their parents. Marks and her husband, Bobby Marks, also a 1956 graduate, purchased bricks in their names as well.

“I really feel like it’s such a wonderful opportunity to help. I taught school for 38 years and, without that degree from Lamar, I would not have had that opportunity,” House said. “Some people can give a lot of money to the university, but a lot of people can give a little bit, and that little bit adds up and makes a big difference.”

July 1 is the deadline to order an engraved brick for yourself or to honor a friend or loved one. Bricks may be ordered online at lamar.edu/bricks. For additional information, visit the website or call (409) 880-8519.